ZENNER Water Meters

Karl Adolf Zenner laid the foundation for today’s company when he founded a sales company for water meters. The company became an established sales company in southern Germany for around 20 years.

The company founder started to produce his own water meters in a small shed in Saarbrücken known as the ‘Karl Adolf Zenner Water Meter Factory’. That’s why we are celebrating an anniversary today: 100 years of ZENNER water meters!

The company moved into a factory building at the “Römerkastell” in Saarbrücken. The building was to remain ZENNER’s headquarters for many years. This was followed in 2020 by the move to the current company building on the Saarterrassen in Saarbrücken.

In the post-war period, the water meter manufacturer started using plastic parts for the first time – very cutting-edge for the time! In 1950, the founder’s son of the same name took over the management of the company.

The company was then managed by the grandson of the company founder, Dr Peter Zenner, and started to grow on an international scale. The first subsidiaries in France and Italy were added.

The company continued to expand, adding locations in Asia and South America and opening its first branch in China. The product portfolio was also expanded to include the first heat meters.

ZENNER and the Minol Group from Leinfelden-Echterdingen merged, marking the start of a transformation process for ZENNER. The Group also expanded its product portfolio to provide almost everything as an all-round service provider – from meter manufacturers to consumption billing.

At the beginning of 2000, ZENNER used radio technology for remote readouts for the first time. At that time, RDM short-distance radio was still being used. In 2007, production was relocated from Saarbrücken to Mulda. Administration, sales, development, and product management would remain at the Saarbrücken site.

ZENNER has also been represented in the USA with sites there since 2012. ZENNER USA, based in Addison, Texas, with a production facility in Banning, California, manufactures and distributes water meters and Automated Meter Reading (AMR) Systems for the North and Central American markets.

The switch from RDM to the open Wireless M-Bus system followed in 2014. The mobile wireless M-Bus radio system allows consumption meters to be conveniently read out remotely using the walk-by or drive-by method. As a result, appointments and flat inspections are no longer necessary.

ZENNER entered the rapidly growing Internet of Things market and became a member of the LoRa Alliance® in the same year. LoRaWAN^® wireless technology can be used to automatically read data from thousands of water meters, heat meters and other consumption measuring devices over long distances.

As part of its digitalisation strategy, ZENNER acquired stakes in two start-up companies, SmartMakers in Karlsruhe and Tracknet in the USA. Further investments in the companies ZENNER IoT Solutions in Hamburg and Hessware GmbH in Mannheim followed from May 2017.

In recent years, ZENNER has created new jobs for specialists in the areas of digitalisation and project management. The acquired building on the Saarterrassen provides the required space and is the company’s current headquarters.

Digitalisation continues to advance. Smart, digital and sustainable solutions in buildings and cities are becoming increasingly important. ZENNER’s element suite expands its digitalisation portfolio and offers a complete solution for the digitalisation of the smart city.

The company recently launched a new generation of the IUWS ultrasonic water meter with a parallel radio function in wM-Bus and LoRaWAN^®. ZENNER is also creating ‘Metering as a Service’ as a new product for the water industry. The solution lays the foundation for variable water tariffs and supports customers with efficient and sustainable water management processes.